As the pressure increases on institutional budgets and presidential performers, higher-ed development professionals have been required to step up their game. And it appears their efforts are paying off. Last month, our president Keith Curtis, immediate past chair of Giving USA Foundation, shared with the big-picture findings of Giving USA 2016: The Annual Report on Philanthropy… Read more »
5 ways to make your major gifts program a major success
Putting a major gifts process in place doesn’t happen overnight; it takes a strategic cultivation plan tailored to each potential donor. But as we’ve seen time and again, the result is always worth the effort. Here are five important ways to improve your chances for success: 1. Know your “rights.” Is it bad timing? Am… Read more »
Wealth advisors on your board? Help them help you.
After two recent conversations with wealth advisors, who were also nonprofit board members and were wrestling with whether they should discuss their own philanthropic priorities with their clients, I began to give this topic some thought. These individuals understood that, as board members, they were expected to be connectors, but they were trying to balance… Read more »
National Estate Planning Awareness Week: Focus on Planned Giving
The Association for Fundraising Professionals and their strategic partners adopted the third week in October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Through this initiative, AFP and the Financial Awareness Foundation hope to educate, highlight and celebrate estate planning and the important role nonprofits play in this field. According to the 2012 Bank of America Study of… Read more »
Key Indicators of Planned Givers: Highlights from a Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council Event
Last week the Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council hosted a presentation by Jeff Johnson of The Stelter Company. Jeff shared some key findings from research his company has conducted over the last few years on indicators and behavior of planned givers. I have summarized a few points below. • Among Americans age 40+, people who… Read more »
Engaging Board Members in Fundraising is Key to Success, Latest NRC Study Finds
The latest Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) study on board member engagement in fundraising concludes, among other things, that board members serve two primary fundraising functions: helping the organization reach new prospective donors (access) and indicating the organization’s value to the community by their own association with the group (signaling). Here are some key findings: –… Read more »
The Giving Institute’s Eight Steps for Selecting Fundraising Counsel
The Curtis Group has been a member of The Giving Institute for nearly five years. Established in 1935, The Giving Institute has been the thought leader membership organization for fundraising consultants and nonprofit services firms. One of the many resources they offer to nonprofit leaders is a list of the eight steps on how to… Read more »
What Do You Need From Your Board?
In last week’s blog post, a board member talked about his expectations and role within a board. He shared his thoughts during a panel discussion that Keith and I led as part of a workshop for the Virginia Association of Museum’s Annual Conference. Friends and clients, Page Hayhurst, Executive Director, Carolyn Cuthrell, Director of Development, and Joe Witt,… Read more »
